Gordon's First Job
by CRIMSAM
Summary: Jeff is caring for a five-year-old Gordon one afternoon. What kind of trouble could a little boy cause? Well, it is Gordon. Rated for brief foul language. Collaberative effort by Criminally Charmed and Sam1.


**Gordon's First Job**

By CRIMSAM

Four o'clock in the morning…Jeff Tracy had been up before at four in the morning. He had been in the military, heck - he had grown up on a farm! Still, Jeff couldn't recall being this excited.

You would think after four sons, Jeff would be use to this. Flopping down on the sofa, he kicked off is shoes and turned on the television. Rapidly, lowering the volume, Jeff waited for the stock market report to come on. Pulling out his cell phone, the former astronaut smiled at the picture he had snapped of Lucy and baby Alan. Personally, Jeff had wanted Walter but between the glare Lucy had given him and the wails of the newborn when he suggested the name, they would be going with Alan Shepard Tracy.

They hadn't planned on this newest baby, having decided six years ago when Lucy was pregnant with Gordon that four was a good number for children. But life didn't always go according to plan. Which would be why Jeff's secretary was sleeping in the guest room instead of his mother. Ruth Tracy had been due to arrive on Saturday. After all, the baby wasn't due for another two weeks. But, as Ruth had good naturedly told her son when he called from the hospital to tell her that it _wasn't_ another case of Braxton-Hicks, that the baby was coming, "Jeff, babies come when babies want to come. If Lucy's doctor isn't worried, then you shouldn't be." It hadn't helped much.

Jeff got up from the couch and walked upstairs. Peeking into Scott and John's room, he entered quietly to pull the book from John's hands, placing it on the bedside stand. Starting back out, he stopped suddenly at Scott's whispered, "Everything OK, Dad?" Leaning over his firstborn Jeff smiled. Scott never was big on sleep.

"Yeah, Scott, everything is fine. Your mom is fine and you have another little brother." Jeff stifled a laugh at the exasperated look on his son's face. He knew everyone – himself included – had hoped for a girl this time. "We named him Alan and he looks just like your mother. Now go back to sleep. You have school in the morning." Scott rolled back over and if he didn't go to sleep, it was a reasonable facsimile.

As Jeff made his way to the next bedroom, he smiled as he remembered Scott's initial reaction to the news of the new baby. Gordon had been approaching his fifth birthday and Jeff and Lucy had promised that once Gordon started kindergarten, they would have all the renovations finished and Scott would get his own room. But unfortunately, what was to have been the "almost teenager's" room was now a nursery. Scott had taken it with better grace than Jeff could have hoped for. At the entrance to Virgil and Gordon's room, Jeff peeked in, stepping in and pulling Virgil's iPod buds from his ears, only slightly surprised to hear Bach coming from the device. Gordon started at the sound before Jeff could silence the music. "Daddy? Am I finally the big brother?"

Smiling at his youngest – oops, not anymore – Jeff ran a gentle hand over his son's red hair. He could recall when his mother's hair had been that shade. "Yep, Gordon. You have a little brother. His name is Alan and he has blonde hair and blue eyes, just like Johnny."

Gordon frowned. "He looks like Johnny? But you and Virgil and Scottie all looks alike. And now Johnny and Alan and Mommy will all look alike. Who'll look like me?"

Jeff tapped Gordon's nose. "You look like Grandma Tracy. And you look like baby pictures of her twin brother. My uncle died when he was still a young man in a boating accident. You make your Grandma so happy every time she sees you. Besides, is Johnny any less Scott and Virgil's brother because he doesn't look like them?" Gordon shook his head. "And is Johnny any less my son?" Another head shake had Jeff continuing. "Trust me, Gordon. I have seen the four of you together. People can tell you are brothers. And it will be the same with Alan. Now go to sleep. You have to go to kindergarten in a few hours so you can tell all your friends about your little brother."

Another frown replaced the smile that had crept over Gordon's face. "Who will take us to school? Is Mommy is with Allie?" Thinking back over the night before, Gordon looked up. "I don't think we can all fits in Ann-Marie's car."

Thinking of Ann-Marie's little two-seater, Jeff held back a laugh. No, it was not a car designed for his rowdy bunch. "I'll take you boys to school. I promised your mom I would take tomorrow off. And Grandma will be up here by dinnertime. Now, Mom and the baby need to rest today, but you guys can see them on Saturday morning and if the doctor says it is OK, we can bring them home on Sunday. How does that sound?" Gordon smiled again and drifted back to sleep. As he left the room, Jeff was sure Gordon was already planning how he would tell his classmates that he wasn't the baby of his family any longer.

Once back on the couch, Jeff made casual mental notes at the start of the stock report. Yeah. He would take the boys to school, maybe swing by to visit Lucy and the baby – although the doctor had said she would probably sleep most of the morning – and set things up around the house before his mother got there. This was easy. He could handle it. No problem.

Two hours later, Ann-Marie Thompson came down the stairs. Luckily, she and Lucy were usually the same size. The secretary knew the Tracy mother wouldn't mind her borrowing one of her pre-pregnancy dresses. After all, she had covered for a rapid fill-in babysitter when Lucy had called yesterday evening as they were shutting down the office. Sure it was false labor – again – Jeff asked his secretary of four years to watch the boys for a few hours. Just as Ann-Marie had sat the boys down for a pizza dinner, Jeff had called to tell her that the baby was definitely coming. To add to the drama, Mrs. Tracy (Senior, that is) wasn't able to come up until Friday night. Could Ann-Marie stay for the night? The guest room was already prepared for Ruth Tracy, so she could stay there. Hearing the traces of panic in her otherwise ultra-controlled boss, Ann-Marie smiled and assured Jeff it was no problem.

Wondering if the baby had come yet, Ann-Marie entered the living room and found Jeff sprawled out on the couch, his soft snores drowning out the morning news show. Pulling an afghan from a nearby chair, she gently tucked in her boss, frowning at the sight of the cell phone clutched in his hand. "Really, Jeff," she muttered, "is it always business…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at the newest picture on the cell phone. Jeff had fallen asleep looking at a picture of his wife and new baby. Seeing the blue blanket the infant was secured in, she guessed it was a boy.

Within the hour, Ann-Marie had gathered the boys at the table, munching on their cereal. With a few glares, Scott had managed to keep his brothers – even Gordy – quiet so as to not wake the slumbering Jeff. "OK, boys. Lunches are packed, I'll use your mom's mini-van and take you to school, and I'll run it back at lunch time. I set up a travel alarm by your father so he will be up by 10:30, he can get Gordon from school and everything should be OK. If there are any problems, your dad will just call me at the office, OK?" As the boys got up to get their school bags, Ann-Marie snagged Scott's arm, pressing a folded piece of paper into the twelve-year-old's hand. "Call me if your Dad forgets, OK?" Scott smirked and nodded before heading to get his books. Ann-Marie knew his father almost as well as their mom did.

_**A short time later…**_

The soft snores continued until a shrill beeping noise rang out from the small travel clock. Startled from his much needed sleep, Jeff stared, blearily, around the family room. He fumbled with the alarm clock for a few moments before successfully managing to silence it. It was then that he realized that the house was too quiet. The Tracy home was never a quiet place. Not with four rambunctious boys. His eyes settled on the clock again and he said a silent thank you to Ann-Marie. With a quick stretch to loosen a few cramped muscles, he hurried upstairs to change clothes before rushing off to pick Gordon up from school. His thoughts fell to his newest and youngest son.

"Alan Shepard Tracy," he said aloud, grinning.

After changing clothes, he was running a few minutes later than he'd have liked to get Gordon. Once his thoughts turned to his red-haired son, he wondered just how Gordon had shared the news to his classmates that he was now a big brother and therefore no longer the baby in the family. "Knowing Gordon, he broke the news in a very dramatic way." He couldn't help chuckling when several possible scenarios popped into his mind's eye.

_**Earlier that morning**_

Ann-Marie had dropped the Scott off at the junior high school before dropping John, Virgil, and Gordon off at their elementary school. Watching the youngest of the three grab Virgil's hand and all but dragging him into the school, Ann-Marie laughed. The now second youngest Tracy brother had been excited at the prospect on breaking the news that he was no longer the baby.

Skipping to his assigned coat hook and cubby, Gordon quickly hung up his coat and backpack.

"You're extremely happy this morning, Gordon." Glancing up, Gordon realized that his teacher had been watching him and had heard him humming under his breath. Even he hadn't been aware that he was doing it.

"Uh-uh, Mrs. Cassidy," he agreed. "I'm a big brother now. Mommy went to the hospital and now I have a baby brother."

"Congratulations on becoming a big brother, Gordon," she replied. "What is your brother's name?"

"Alan Shepard Tracy. Daddy likes to name us after astronauts because he was one," Gordon answered. "But, Mrs. Cassidy, I'm kinda sad. I wanted Alan to look like me but Daddy said that he has blonde hair like Johnny and Mommy. I don't have no one that looks like me."

"Are you sure about that?" she asked.

"Well, Daddy says that I kinda look like Grandma's twin brother who died a long time ago so I can't see him," he answered.

Kneeling down to his level, Mrs. Cassidy looked at him seriously. "Gordon, I'm going to tell you something that I know for a fact. I've seen Scott, John, Virgil, and you together before Scott went off to junior high school and there is no doubt in anyone's mind that you are brothers. Just because your hair color is different doesn't mean that there aren't similarities that we can see in your face. Be grateful that you are the only red-haired brother because that makes you all the more special in such a big family."

Thinking hard, he nodded. "I guess but I still wish Alan looked like me a little bit."

Tousling his hair, she continued, "He may not look like you but if you're a good big brother, he'll look up to you when he's a little older."

"I'm a big boy so he'll have to look up to me because he's small," Gordon said, confused.

"I mean like you look up to your big brothers because they protect you and make sure that you're taken care of," she laughed. The bell rang and the class scurried for their chairs so that class could begin. Standing up, Mrs. Cassidy decided to let Gordon share his news with the class. "Gordon, would you like to tell the class about your new baby brother?"

Nodding, he ran to the front of the class. "I'm not the baby in my family no more. I'm Alan Shepard Tracy's big brother and I'm going to be his bestest big brother so that he will look up to me."

"That's a dumb name." Gordon glared at the boy who had spoken up.

"My brother's name is not dumb, Keith, and you better take it back," Gordon demanded.

Mrs. Cassidy quickly intervened before Gordon or Keith said anything else. "Keith, that is not called for and I want you to apologize to Gordon for being mean."

Keith sullenly apologized with Gordon reluctantly accepting. Mrs. Cassidy knew that Keith's father had been a classmate of Jeff Tracy's and while the Tracy father had become wealthy and successful, Keith's father was frequently unemployed. In addition, Keith's mother had abandoned them last year. But she wasn't going to allow the boy to steal Gordon's excitement. The teacher also saw an opportunity to tie in the Tracy sons' name with a lesson.

"Now, class, Gordon and his brothers, including the new baby are all named for astronauts. Does everyone know what an astronaut is?"

A little girl raised her hand. "Yes, Amanda?"

"A spaceman."

Several of the children laughed but Mrs. Cassidy just smiled. "In a way yes, Amanda, they are. Astronauts are men and women who train to go into space. For example, Gordon's father has been in space twice and even walked on the moon. The astronaut Gordon's little brother was named for was Alan Shepard, the first American in space. I think we can spend the morning with lessons about space." For the next few hours, the class learned to spell words for space like star and moon, made up sentences for those words, drew pictures of rockets and read the book, "Stanley in Space". Soon it was time for the children to go.

Some of the children went to the lunchroom, to have their meal before going to a daycare program on the school grounds. There would be children who attended the afternoon kindergarten who were in the daycare program in the morning. But most of the children were picked up by family members. Gordon's mother was usually the first there. Today, his father was the last.

Gordon sat on the bench near the pick-up entrance when Jeff Tracy burst through the door. Seeing the solemn little boy sitting sadly, his legs swinging, tapping the Aquaman backpack on the floor in front of him, Jeff felt guilt sweeping through him. When Gordon heard the door, he looked up and broke into his trademark grin. "Daddy!" Picking up the five-year-old, Jeff hugged his son as the teacher and principal emerged from the office next to the bench.

"Mr. Tracy," the principal Mrs. Battiselli started, "Pick-up time for morning kindergarteners is 11:20 to 11:40. It's now noon. I was able to get hold of your secretary a minute ago. She offered to come get Gordon but I am fear Ms. Thompson is not listed as an authorized contact for your sons. If you will be picking up Gordon or your other sons for the immediate future, I really need you to update the boys emergency contact list with a cell phone."

Abashed, Jeff took the proffered forms, promising to drop them off when he picked up John and Virgil. There was something intimidating about having to be lectured by your former second grade teacher. For one moment, he wasn't Jeff Tracy, ex-astronaut, millionaire, businessman, husband or father. In that one moment he was little Jefferson Tracy, Grant and Ruth Tracy's son, receiving a lecture. And for that one moment he wished they had chosen not to settle in same county he had grown up in, even if it was the opposite side. When the state had redistricted school districts more than a decade ago, several of the teachers from his childhood school were now his sons' teachers. With any luck, most of them would be retired before they could tell tales.

Leaving the school clutching his son's hand in his much larger one, Jeff hurried the little boy to the SUV. "Daddy?" Jeff smiled at his son as he secured the five-year-old in his booster seat. "Can we have getty-o's?"

Jeff looked at his son in puzzlement. "Getty-o's? Um, I'm not sure, I mean…" How did Lucy regularly deal with this?

"Yeah, Daddy. Mommy has cans of getty-o's with me-balls or no me-balls. Can we have that for lunch?"

With a sigh, Jeff smiled as he started his vehicle. Spaghetti-O's. Maybe that was how Lucy did it. Let the kid rattle on long enough and you can figure out what they are talking about. One of his engineers was like that, except he stuttered so badly, Jeff found he had to be very patient waiting for answers but since they were never wrong, it was worth it. Pulling away from the school, Jeff sighed with relief. This wasn't so hard; he didn't know what his mother and wife had to complain about.

_Little did he know…_

"Getty-o's, Getty-o's, Daddy's gonna fix me Getty-o's." Jeff couldn't decide whether to wince at the singing or chuckle at how funny Gordon sounded. "Daddy, I'm really hungry. Scotty eated my favorite cereal and then I had to eat Johnny's and is really yucky."

"I'll fix you those Spaghetti-O's when we get home and then we won't have to worry about you wasting away to nothing," Jeff replied. No sooner were the words out of his mouth, had his cell phone rang. "Tracy." His greeting was short as expected by the other party. "Can't you figure this out?" A brief pause and Jeff sighed, glancing in the rear view mirror at Gordon. "Okay, I'll be there within thirty minutes." Snapping his cell closed, he met Gordon's eyes. "Change of plans, Gordon. I have to go to the worksite and fix something."

"But Daddy, you said you'd fix me getty-o's," Gordon argued, crossing his arms. "I want getty-o's."

Reading the warning signs that Gordon was about to erupt into a temper tantrum, Jeff quickly spoke up. "How about I take you to McDonald's and you can have a cheeseburger Happy Meal?"

"Mommy doesn't like us to eat that kinda food, Daddy. Her says it's not good for the body. Grandma says so too and you hafta listen to what her says b'cause her your mommy," he argued.

"It'll be a treat just for you and our secret, okay?" Gordon's eyes lit up at the word secret.

"Only me and you will know it, Daddy?" Gordon contemplated for a moment and then came to the conclusion the he would have something to lord over his older brothers. "Okay, can I have a cola, too?"

Realizing that he'd avoided a tantrum, Jeff breathed a sigh of relief. Turning into the McDonald's parking lot, he followed directions to the drive-thru and ordered Gordon's food and a large coffee for himself. Content, Gordon sat back in his booster seat and ate his lunch. His eyes widened in delight with the first drink of his cola.

"Here we are, Gordon," Jeff announced, parking. "I trust you to behave while we're here, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy, but don't forget we have to get Johnny and Virgil and Scott." Patiently he waited while Jeff fumbled with the locking mechanism on the booster seat. After a few minutes, Gordon shoved his father's hands away. "Let me do it, Daddy." In seconds, he was free from his seat and scampering out of it. Holding his daddy's hand, he walked proudly next to his father.

No sooner had Jeff and Gordon donned hard hats then the foreman started in with the problems that the crew was facing. Gordon's hard hat kept slipping down over his face much to the amusement of the crew that watched as he continuously pushed it up so he could see. Jeff was quickly absorbed in the conversation with the foreman. Gordon wandered closer to the crew and listened in on what they were saying. His eyes remained riveted on the work going on around him. Before long, several guys noticed his interest and started giving him little jobs to do.

What had turned into a quick five minutes at the work site stretched out into three hours. Jeff had looked up to see what Gordon was doing and saw how dirty his son was. With a glance at his watch, he blanched. "GORDON, TIME TO MOVE OUT!" His voice carried to where Gordon was dumping the last of some broken bricks into a wheelbarrow.

Running as fast as he could without falling, Gordon wiped his hands down the front of his shirt, leaving red streaks. "Daddy, I was working."

"Sorry, Son, but we have to go get your brothers." The shuffle of feet drew his attention to some of the crew standing just behind Gordon. "Something wrong?"

One of the men stepped forward, holding an envelope in his callused hands. "Young Mr. Tracy, here, was a big help the last few hours and we decided it was only right that he get a paycheck just like the rest of us work for." Tapping the top of Gordon's hard hat, the man walked off with the rest of his crew after handing the envelope over to Gordon. "Anytime you want to earn a paycheck, Gordon, we can use your help." Jeff hung their hard hats up and urged Gordon to hurry to the SUV. He deftly fastened him in and slid into the driver's seat. Mindful of the time, Jeff pushed his luck a bit and increased the speed of the truck.

"DADDY, THEY GAVE ME MONEY!" Gordon's voice shattered the quietness of the truck and earned him a stern look in the rearview mirror. "Sorry, Daddy. I gots me a paycheck and Mommy says paychecks hafta go to the bank. We taking this to the bank, Daddy?"

"Not right now, Gordon, we have to get John and Virgil and then Scott," he answered. A rustling noise drew his interest and he saw the still blank papers that he was to return to Mrs. Battiselli. "We'll have to do it later." With five minutes to spare, Jeff pulled into the school's parking lot and hurriedly filled out the emergency contact forms. "C'mon, Son, let's get these into Mrs. Battiselli like I told her I would."

"Ready, Daddy." Gordon climbed over the seat and opened the passenger side door before Jeff realized he was out of his booster seat. Hands on hips, Gordon stared up at his dad. "What wrong, Daddy?"

Shaking off his surprise, Jeff locked up the truck and grabbed his son's hand, walking at a fast pace into the building. He had no sooner handed over the papers that he and Gordon were again in the hallway, struggling through the now crowded hallways.

"DAD!" Glancing up and down the hallways, Jeff finally spotted John's blonde hair. Virgil was pushing through his schoolmates to keep up with his older brother.

Herding his three middle sons through the door, Jeff led them to his SUV in the parking lot. "OK, boys, we have to go get Scott now."

Double-checking his brothers' seat belts, John absently asked his father, "Why are you picking up Scott last, Dad? His school gets out before us."

Jeff resisted the urge to smack his head into the steering wheel and instead adding a touch of gas to his exit, driving quickly down the connecting road between the elementary and junior high.

Pulling up to his oldest son's school, Jeff sighed with relief as he saw Scott standing at the foot of the front stoop, talking on his cell phone. Jogging over to the SUV, Jeff could hear the conversation clearly.

"Yeah, Ann-Marie, he just got here. It's OK. I actually got a chance to talk with my friends without any little brothers around. Novel experience, ya know? No, Mr. Griffin just went in when we saw Dad turn into the drive. Yeah, he did. Really? No big surprise, huh? Yeah, I would have loved to have been there too. Thanks for checking up, Ann-Marie. Later!" Sliding his cell phone into his backpack, Scott climbed into the front seat and secured his seatbelt. "Hey, dad, glad to see you're still among the sane after an afternoon with the tiny terrorist."

Before Jeff could respond, Gordon angrily retorted, "Scottie, you knows Mommy said you wasn't to call me that's no more! Sides, I was helping Daddy's work. I even got a paycheck!" This got his brothers' attention and soon the redhead was telling all about working at the construction site, ending with his pay envelope. He even fished the envelope out of his pocket to show to John – the only brother he trusted to give it back. Beaming when John gave him a gentle smile, Gordon continued, "And Daddy is gonna take me to the bank and I am gonna put the money in the bank cause that's what Mommy always said you do with paychecks, right Daddy?"

Jeff nodded and Scott used the opportunity to break into the conversation. While Gordon gave all the details of his day to the brothers in the back with him, Scott pulled out a form from his school bag. "Um, Dad, you need to fill this out. Mr. Griffin – he's the new principal – he said if Mom is not gonna be picking me up every day, he'll need this."

Having stopped at a red light, Jeff glanced over at the form Scott was holding and held in a groan. It was another Emergency Contacts Form; great, what must his sons' teachers think of him? At that moment, all of his successes – astronaut, businessman – paled. Jeff loved his sons and hated the thought that anyone thought he was a bad father. As he drove towards the cul-de-sac they lived on, Jeff was pulled from his musings by Gordon's voice.

"And Daddy was gonna make me getty-o's – I wanted the ones with me-balls – when his phone rang and we has to go to work. But I was really, really hungry. Johnny, how can you stand that cereal? It was icky and I couldn't finish it. And I was so mad at Keith cause he said Alan's name was dumb and I said it wasn't and then we talked about space and astronauts and read a book but I was still so mad at Keith I didn't really want my Goldfish crackers at snack, so I was real, real hungry. So before we went to work, Daddy tooks me to McDonald and I had a cheesy burger and fries and a soda."

_Damn_, Jeff cursed silently. _So much for a secret_, Jeff mused as he pulled into their driveway. Looking at the accusing eyes of his second and third sons while ignoring the amused look of his oldest, Jeff tried to regain control. "Hey, guys, what do you say we go to McDonald's tomorrow after visiting Mom and Alan at the hospital? I think a new baby brother calls for a celebration?" Recalling a stop at one fast food restaurant while returning from a vacation a couple of years ago, Jeff paled and said, "Make that we'll get McDonalds food in the drive-thru, same as I did with Gordon today, OK?"

Making sure his brothers were safely out and had grabbed all their school supplies, Scott closed the door behind them as the three middle sons ran towards the house. Looking at his father as the two walked more sedately behind, Scott muttered, "You know, that could constitute a bribe."

Jeff shrugged. "I prefer to consider it an incentive bonus."

_**Nearly three hours later…**_

Smiling and waving as his mother's car pulled into the driveway, Jeff hurriedly replaced the lid on the trash bin and jogged over to open the door for Ruth Tracy. "Mom, you have perfect timing as always. The boys are eating dinner and visiting hours start at six, so I want to get going. Let me grab your bags, I'll drop them off in your room and say bye to the boys. Virgil and Gordon have an eight-thirty bedtime and John and Scott's is nine-ish. I made sure they finished their homework and their chores before dinner. OK, I think that's it, it should be a quiet evening for you Mom."

Casting a suspicious glance at her only child, Ruth gave a small smile. A quiet evening with four healthy, boisterous boys? She was tempted to have Jeff stay home, but she had called Lucy before driving up from the farm. While Lucy had slept until after lunch, she was now anxiously awaiting seeing her husband. Ruth had spoken with Jeff earlier as well and she knew they would all be going to see Lucy and baby Alan in the morning. Grant Tracy hadn't been able to leave the farm to come see the baby, but Lucy had promised they would all drive down during the next school break. And Ruth had promised to get plenty of pictures. Smiling as she entered the house, she asked Jeff over her shoulder, "Now, Jeff, you aren't letting the boys eat junk, are you? When I spoke with Ann-Marie last night, she said they had gotten a pizza delivered. The boys need healthy meals."

Passing his mother in the living room as she headed towards the kitchen, Jeff called down, "Now, Mom, they are having chicken, mashed potatoes and corn. A nice, sit-down meal." As he set the bags in the guest bedroom, Jeff was glad that he had taken out the trash before his mother could see the packaging from Kentucky Fried Chicken. Jogging back to the kitchen, he said goodnight to his sons and dashed out the door.

_**Shortly after nine that night…**_

Jeff was whistling as he entered the family home, trying to make as little noise as possible. Lucy was still tired, but happy to see her husband. Although Jeff wondered if maybe he shouldn't have stopped by earlier that afternoon, seeing as Lucy apparently hadn't slept all day as he had supposed. Nope. Lucy had been awake shortly after lunch, had spoken with Ann Marie, and not only made sure Jeff really had taken the day off, but arranged for Jeff to have some time off next month. As well as an initial consult with an urologist. Lucy really wanted to be assured that Alan was the youngest Tracy. "I gave you five chances Jeff and you blew them all. Now, since I have no interest in producing a hockey team, five will be the limit – got it?" Jeff nearly made a joke about needing a goalie but seeing the look in his wife's eye – well, a wise man knows when a strategic retreat is in order.

Speaking of strategic retreats…Jeff froze as his mother walked up to him, the dish towel in her hands a clear indicator that Ruth Tracy still saw no reason to use a dishwasher when she was capable of washing dishes by hand. The look in her green eyes and the set of her jaw drew Jeff back to his childhood. He had the overwhelming urge to deny any involvement in whatever it was he had supposedly done.

"Jefferson Grant Tracy…" Ruth sighed deeply, watching her only son squirm. "Sit, now." Jeff sat on the sofa as his usually petite mother towered over him. "What did you do today between picking up Gordon and the other boys? And before you say anything, I know you didn't bring that boy home. You went to work. No, Ann Marie didn't know. The foreman at the worksite had called her office, but she was bringing Lucy's minivan back. So the twit covering for her patched him through to your cell. You took a five-year-old boy to a construction site! What were you thinking?"

"Well, Mom, he loved it. Really! And yes, it took longer than I would have liked, but Gordy had a blast. The men even gave him little jobs and then presented him with a pay envelope. The kid was so proud of himself. I think it was a good lesson for him." Ruth nodded at that and Jeff gave an inward sigh. Ruth and Grant Tracy had raised their son to work hard and be responsible and that was a lesson he was trying to pass on to his own children.

"And how much of the work that your son did was supervised by you?"

Jeff was flummoxed. "Well, if you mean general supervision…"

"No, Jefferson. Direct, as in you were within earshot."

Sighing deeply, Jeff shrugged. "I was close enough, I guess."

A wooden spoon rapping his knuckles, Jeff yelped as Ruth glared at him. "Oh, no, Jefferson. I hope you most definitely were not in earshot. Because you were out of milk. And rather than call you at the hospital, I decided to run the boys down with me to the store. And as you may or may not know, the grocery store down the way has a branch of the bank Lucy uses in the services department. And they are open late on Fridays. So, since they were open and Gordon was still clutching his paycheck, I decided to let him deposit it." Jeff nodded, seeing no problem so far. But the glare on his mother's face told him that the problem was coming up and fast.

"Well, you know Gordon. He had to tell the lady at the bank what he was depositing. The teller was equally impressed and asked Gordon how he had come by his very own  
paycheck at such a young age. Gordon proudly replied, "I worked today with a real construction crew building a new building for my daddy's business."

Jeff smiled at that. The smiled died as Ruth glared at him and continued. "So the teller says, "Oh my goodness gracious, and will you be working on the building again next week, too?" And do you know what your five-year-old son said to that?"

Shaking his head weakly, Jeff was unsure he wanted his mother to continue. "He said "I will if those jackasses at Home Depot ever deliver the f'ing sheet rock!"

Rolling his eyes, Jeff leaned his head against the back of the couch. He could only hope Lucy didn't hear about this or his "medical procedure" may get done ahead of schedule, without anesthesia and within the comforts of his home. Rising to his feet, Jeff sighed. "I'll talk to him, Mom."

"Scott already did, Jeff. But you have been given five treasures. Never forget that." Ruth pulled him down to bestow a kiss on his cheek. "And I would tell Lucy myself if I were you. She hears about it from somewhere else and it will be worse. Now, I am going to make myself some tea. Do you want any?"

Shaking his head, Jeff instead kissed his mother good-night and went to bed. As she watched her only child walk away, Ruth Tracy released the smile she had been holding onto for hours. Jeff had been a boy who had bestowed more than a few white hairs on his parents. _As you sow, so shall you reap_, had always been one of Ruth's favorite biblical quotes.

And if Gordon was any sign of things to come, her boy had a bumper crop due to him.

She couldn't wait.

**_a/n - If you go to our authors page, you will see this is a team effort. So this odd little tale has been brought to you by the creative genius of Sam1 and the warped sense of humor of Criminally Charmed. Or is it the other way around? Our lips are sealed._**


End file.
